Another Time
by thingsjusthappen
Summary: In which Kathryn asks Regina to help a few of her students while she away at a conference. One of the students happens to be Emma Swan. College AU


_A/N: I keep trying to finish up the final chapter for Lay All Your Love on Me and I keep erasing large sections because I don't like them...so I end up writing AU one-shots...I'll get it out...eventually...hopefully by the end of July...anyways enjoy this one-shot and ignore obvious plot holes cause I do! ;)_

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"Ruby! Wait up!" Emma called out to her friend who was running through the crowd of people. Today was some sort of festival and there were more people out and about today.

"No! We're going to be late! If I miss this exam then I'm probably going to have to retake the class! So hurry up!" Ruby shouted not bothering to stop running. Emma shook her head as she looked around. There had to be a quicker way for Emma to get around this crowd. Emma smirked as she saw a fire escape a few feet ahead of her. Emma ran towards it jumping at the wall and propelling herself towards the hanging ladder. She didn't wait for it to go down as she began climbing.

A few seconds later she found herself on the roof of the building and smiling. This was natural for her. It scared the life out of some of her friends, the free running but she loved it and honestly it got her out of some sticky situations when people couldn't follow her when she would do insane stunts to get to one place from another.

Emma ran towards the edge of the building she was on and flipped onto the other making sure to tuck and roll the landing not to injure herself as the building she was now on was slightly lower. She continued to do this until she reached campus. She looked down and could see Ruby was right behind her now. Looking at her watch Emma smiled, they still had ten minutes until their exam. Emma dropped her body down the side of the building only holding herself by her hands. She looking at the next edge before dropping and catching herself with her hands once more. She did this four more times until she found herself on the ground.

Dusting herself off she jogged to catch up with Ruby who was now speed walking instead of running. "I really hate festivals!" Ruby groaned as Emma chuckled.

"You only hate them when their downtown near our apartment."

"Eh, details, but seriously, we wake up late, almost miss the bus for Henry, then we almost miss the train, then this stupid festival. I would have gone on a rampage if I missed this midterm. I will not retake math thinking again. I refuse to." Emma just continued to laugh as they made their way into the building where their class was held. "Oh, I saw how you got here Em, if you would have broken something I wouldn't have come to the hospital with you." Ruby commented as they entered the elevator.

"I would have gotten Maggie to go, she doesn't have classes during the day on Wednesdays." Emma shrugged.

"I don't see why you endanger yourself like that. Yes, it's cool to watch but one misstep and splat. You're terribly idiotic at times. What would happen to Henry?"

"Ingrid would take him or well I could see Maggie and David raising him. I'm pretty sure after they married she'll soon be pregnant." Ruby just rolled her eyes.

"You need to stop being so careless, Emma." Ruby commented as Emma just shrugged once more. She wasn't being careless, free running was her life, her escape from all the bad in the world. She'd been five when she witnessed three of her older foster siblings at the park doing the stunts and acrobatics. She'd taken to it immediately. When she was seven she even talked one of the nicer family's she was with to take her to some classes to learn more.

"Alright class, you have until the end of the period to finish this exam. You may leave when you're done and also, no class on Friday or Monday, I'll be away at my daughter's wedding." A few people congratulated their professor as he handed out the exam. Forty minutes later Emma walked out of the exam feeling confident she passed it with at least an eighty percent. There were a few questions she was sure she'd gotten wrong. Ruby had mouthed she'd would be a bit longer before Emma had left the room.

Emma looked around the empty hall and leaned against the wall sliding down until her butt hit the floor. Emma unzipped her backpack taking out a book she had to write a paper on before the end of the month. Well, more like she had to pick a short story and write about in comparison to the other short stories in the book. Opening the book, Emma read the story that was assigned for tomorrows class and underlining important passages when she passed them.

"I at least got a solid C on that exam." Emma looked up at Ruby who was stretching as she stood in front of her.

"Well that'd be better than the D you got on the last exam." Ruby nodded as Emma marked her place in the book before tossing it into her bag.

"Food?" Ruby nodded.

"Yes, I didn't eat yet and my stomach kept growling when we were taking the exam." Emma laughed standing up as they took the stairs.

zZz

Regina Mills couldn't believe what she was seeing from her office window. The young woman was dangling from the side of the building across the way. She picked up her cell phone about to call campus security when she watched as the girl let go only to catch herself on the ledge of a window.

"What's got you captivated?" Regina didn't take her eyes from the young woman at her friend and colleague walked into her office. Kathryn Midas walked over the window to see what had her friend looking amazed yet anxious at the same time. She chuckled when she saw the young woman across the way scaling down a building. "Ah, Emma Swan, she's one of my best students. I wrote her a recommendation just last week." Kathryn commented walked from the window and sitting down across from her friend.

"What class?" Regina questioned wanting to know more about this woman.

"All of them, she's taken all of my classes except for my stats class and marriage and family, but I know she plans to take the latter come spring semester. Can't talk her into my social stats though." Kathryn chuckled shaking her head remembering their conversation. "Anyways, I'm her advisor, which is the reason for my visit." Regina raised a brow looking at her friend. "As you know I'm going to a conference tomorrow and a few of my seniors had appointments with me to finalize their schedules and credits—"

"Absolutely not." Regina interjected causing Kathryn to groan.

"Please, there are only three of them left, none of them could fit earlier times before I left. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, they're seniors so they won't be too incompetent and you'll mostly just have to look over the classes they've picked and the senior credits worksheet they've filled out. Please Regina!" Regina sighed loudly as Kathryn smiled knowing she was going to get her way.

"Fine, give them my office hours and have them stop by."

zZz

Emma tried not to laugh at her three year old who was huffing as they walked across her campus. "You said we was going to the acrobatic gym! We at your _tallage_ mommy!" Emma chuckled as she spun around picking up her son causing him to squeal at the sudden movement.

"We are bug, didn't I make a promise?" Henry nodded his head vigorously as Emma popped him from her hip to on top of her shoulders with ease causing him to squeal once more at the sudden movement.

"Why we here then?" Henry asked as Emma walked up the stairs of the business building. Her advisor had left for a conference yesterday but had emailed her saying the head of the political science department would help her out.

"I have to see Dr. Mills before we go to the gym." She had given Henry the choice of the park or the gym, and being her son, he'd picked the gym. She'd been taking him to the gym since he was a baby. He loved learning how to tumble and do the acrobatics that Emma did. She had to wait until he was at least four to enroll him in the kid's acro class.

"Are you sick mommy?" Emma laughed as she entered the building making sure to duck so Henry didn't hit his head.

"No, not that kind of doctor, this is an academic doctor." Emma tried to explain as she took the stairs.

"What a _demic_ doctor?"

"They help you pass in school." Emma explained as she felt Henry rest his chin on the top of her head.

"Oh, are you failing mommy? Aunty Ruby tolds me she was failing her maths." Emma laughed as she reached up grabbing her son around his torso.

"No, I just have to make sure I can graduate in the spring." Emma stopped at the top of the third floor lifting Henry up and over her head before setting him on the ground.

"That's good right?" Henry questioned looking up at his mom and holding out his hand for her to take it.

"It's great actually," Emma smiled taking his hand and walked down the hall towards Dr. Mills' office. Emma stopped at a closed door and looked at her watch. She had fifteen minutes until the end of Dr. Mills office hours, and she could clearly hear at least one voice conversing. "Henry!" Emma exclaimed as he knocked on the door with his tiny fists.

"You gotta knock mommy or the doctor won't know you here." Henry explained as they heard shuffling before the door opened revealing a brunette woman in a pants suit sans shoes. "See, told you." Henry stuck his tongue out as Emma chuckled shaking her head before looking at the woman before her.

"Uh, hi, sorry about intruding, but Dr. Midas said you'd be able to help me out?" Emma explained awkwardly looking at the gorgeous woman before her.

"Yes, please come in." Emma walked into the office with Henry following behind her.

"Uh, we can wait if you were on an important call?" Emma offered as Regina took her seat back behind her desk.

"No, it was just my mother, you actually gave me an excuse to end the call early. My mother is quite the chatter." Regina explained with a smile as Emma looked around and spotted a couch that was in the corner of the rather large office.

"Here, don't have the volume too loud or you'll go deaf." Emma handed Henry her phone with a pair of head phones.

"If I do we can use sign language." Emma chuckled shaking her head.

"Go sit and be good, smart aleck." Henry gave her a cheeky smile before going to sit on the couch. Emma watched him crawl onto the sofa and get his self-situated before taking her seat across from Dr. Mills who was watching them intently. "He's rather cheeky for a three year old."

"Almost four mommy." Emma rolled her eyes with a smile as she leaned over opening her bag and grabbing a folder.

"I pretty much have everything filled out, Kathryn just needed to look over it." Regina raised her brow at hearing Emma use her advisors first name.

"You and Dr. Midas are close?"

"She's watched Henry for me a few times during finals week last spring semester and a few times over summer session. Since then she said it'd be weird if I continued to call her Dr. Midas when Henry calls her Aunty Kat." Emma explained with a blush while biting her lower lip. Regina wondered why Kathryn hadn't told her about Emma Swan and well her son.

"That was very nice of her." Regina commented as Emma nodded.

"Yeah, I really appreciated it and I think my professors did too. I've had to take him to a few of my night classes and sometimes he can't help but ask questions." Emma chuckled as she looked over her shoulder to see that Henry was laying on his stomach watching something on her phone. "Right, anyways, here is my schedule for spring and my credit's worksheet." Emma handed the papers to Regina who placed them in front of her before putting her glasses on.

"Creative Writing? That's a one hundred level course." Regina questioned looking up at the blonde who nodded.

"I have all my gen. eds. and I only have one more class to finish out my major. Most of my classes are filler courses to get the full hundred and twenty credits to graduate." Emma pointed out as Regina turned her attention back to the sheet. Emma was talking five courses and only one of them were a four hundred level, which happened to be Kathryn's Marriage and Family course. The others were the Creative Writing, Spanish level five, Business Management, and Deaf Culture.

"You certainly have an array of courses here." Emma chuckled nodding.

"I took ones that would keep my interests, I've taken all the courses in my major, well the required ones. Kathryn had tried to get me to take social stats, but I hate statistics. I love numbers and counting. Give me a long division problem any day and I'll do it, but statistics is not numbers, it's concepts and some very hard sh-ugar honey ice tea." Emma looked over her shoulder to see that Henry wasn't paying them any mind. Regina found herself chuckling at the worrisome expression of the young woman in front of her.

"Nice save, dear." Regina commented as Emma shook her head amused.

"We have a swear jar at home, I'm pretty sure my roommate and our landlord are the ones who are going to be paying his college tuition." Emma laughed thinking about how Granny always seemed end up leaving around thirty to sixty dollars in the jar when she came to visit.

"Your landlord?" Emma nodded.

"Yeah, she lives in the building with us, she actually my roommates grandmother. It's one of the reasons we can afford a three bedroom off campus. Granny cuts us slack because Ruby is family. She says I'm family too, but yeah."

"You're pretty." Emma jumped in her seat as she looked over to see Henry standing by the desk and staring at Regina with a toothy smile.

"I—thank you."

"You're welsome, I'm Henry." Regina looked at the toddler and smiled.

"Really?" He shook his head with a giggle. "You and my papá have the same name."

"He's Henry Swan too?" Regina laughed at that shaking her head.

"No, he's is Henry Mills. I meant that you have the same first name."

"Oh, what's your name?"

"Regina,"

"Mommy says you a _demic_ doctor and you helps people pass in school." Regina looked from Henry to Emma who was trying not to laugh at her sons persistent questions.

"I am an academic doctor," Regina confirmed as Henry crawled into the seat next to his mom.

"Why you didn't be a sick doctor?"

"Henry," Emma breathed as he ignored his mom leaning forward in his seat waiting for Regina to answer.

"It didn't appeal to me." Regina answered simply as Henry nodded.

"Green beans don't peals to me." Regina chortled at the boy.

"You want to grow big don't you?" Henry nodded.

"I'm already a big boy. Aunty Maggie says so." Henry beamed as Regina looked at him with a smile. He was simply adorable.

"Henry, what happened to being good?" Emma questioned as Henry looked at his mom.

"I'm being good, R'gina and me haves a _consation,_ you interrupting." Emma bit her lip as she heard Regina stifle a laugh. When he said her name it was more like he was saying the letter R followed by the name Gina.

"Dr. Mills and I were talking and you are supposed to be sitting on the couch and being good."

"Her names R'gina mommy, and the phone died so I wanted to talk with her, she's pretty."

"I know her name is _Regina_ bug, but I did not asked nor was I given permission to address her causally." Emma pointed out as Henry's eyes widened as he looked back to Regina.

"I'm sorry! Can I has permission to calls you R'gina?" Regina was a bit taken back by the request, she wasn't sure she'd ever had someone ask for permission so directly to call her by her first name.

"I—yes, you may, can I call you Henry?"

"Yes! Thank you! Can we be friends?"

"If you would like and your mother is agreeable to it."

"Mommy doesn't choose my friends, I'm my own person." Henry stated as if he'd had to defend that sort of thing before.

"Well then, I guess you've just made a new friend." Regina smiled as Henry returned an even bigger smile.

"Will you come to the acrobatic gym with us?" Regina blinked as Emma just shook her head at her son, he was very forward.

"Maybe another time, Henry, do you mind if your mother and I finish our conversation?" Henry pouted crossing his arms across his chest.

"Please?" He whined as Regina looked to Emma for help. She wasn't that well versed in how to handle toddlers not like she was with handling her students.

"Henry, what have I said about whining?" Regina watched as the boy sucked his lip back in but didn't uncross his arms as he looked at his blonde mother.

"It's not attractive." Regina blinked biting her bottom lip, she hadn't expected that response.

"Then why are you whining?" Emma looked at her son as he huffed.

"I want R'gina to come with us, she's my friend and I want to show her how good I tumble mommy." Emma smiled as she ruffled his hair.

"Henry, Dr. Mills is too busy to hang out with us. Go sit back on the couch, we'll be out of here in five minutes and maybe Grace will be at the gym and she can help you with your hand stand?" Henry's eyes lit up as he nodded before climbing down the chair and making his back to the couch.

"Sorry, he's very persistent, I know you probably weren't expecting to be questioned by a toddler today."

"It was unexpected yes, but not unwelcome. He's a very adorable little boy. If you don't mind me asking, are you raising him by yourself?"

"I don't mind, but I'm not raising him by myself per se, without his father, yes. But I have a great support system who love Henry and are more than willing to help out when I need it, even when I don't need it actually." Emma explained as Regina looked over at Henry who was looking around her office, he's a charming toddler, who wouldn't want to help out the single mother.

"That's good," Regina commented as Emma nodded.

"Yeah, it can be overwhelming at times, I grew up without a family and it's cool that Henry has one…and I'm totally oversharing and your office hours are almost up…so um, everything look good with my schedule?" Emma questioned as Regina stared at the woman in front of her for a few seconds before looking down at the paperwork.

"Yes, you're all set, just don't forget to schedule your classes Monday morning." Regina smiled as she stacked the papers and handed them back. Emma thanked her tossing the papers into her backpack before standing up and slinging the back over one shoulder.

"Thank you so much, I appreciate you being able to help since Kathryn bailed on me." Emma winked as Regina nodded and watched as Emma turned around asking Henry if he was ready. Emma pocketed her dead phone before picking up her son around his midsection and holding him like he was a football. "Again, sorry about the munchkins interrogation." Regina blinked as Henry was giggling and flailing his arms about.

"It's alright dear, like I said, unexpected but not unwelcome."

"Say goodbye to your new friend Henry." Emma smiled as Henry stopped flailing about and waved at Regina.

"Bye! Another time?" Henry asked looking over to Regina who smiled with a nod.

"Yes, another time."


End file.
